Debater, tennis player, a good student and last but not the least, a humble person, Rohan Sampath is an inspiration to many.

99.5 per cent record holder in the Class 12 (Indian School Certificate Board), topper Rohan Sampath does not strive to excel only in academics.

This teen is a sport even on the tennis court. When he doesn't clinch scores there, he just smiles and takes defeat in his stride. "Defeat has helped me build my character," says this Indian-born student of Dubai Modern High School.

Over a long distance phonecall, Rohan shared his winning tips on how to understand Gauss's Law Derivation and more. And even over the phone, one could sense the maturity and humility behind the perky voice.

You have set an all-time record for the highest ever score at the Indian School Certificate (ISC) Exam Board. What was your first reaction on hearing the news?

Initially, when we saw the results online, my parents and I were in complete disbelief. I thought there must have been some typographical error.

The next day, when my principal told us about the record, 'our' achievement slowly started sinking in; 'Our' because, so much of the credit for this feat actually goes to other people in my life.

What has been your overall strategy towards studies?

It is very important to get the basic concepts right. If you have clarity, you will not be able to forget those years later. For instance, in physics in a Gauss' Law Derivation, the Gaussian surface is the basic concept. So, to understand the concept better one needs to figure out what shape the surface will take, what would be the symmetry and enclosed charge etc.

Share some more...

I visualise the basic concepts at the end of every class. If there is a diagram on optics, or a graph in economics that has just been covered, I visualise and mark every important angle, line segment/ maxima, slope etc.

I also analysed the question papers of past five years. I didn't write the answers but just noticed the patterns. By observing the patterns, you will realise that, for example, Question 4 on a Math paper will always be a question on trigonometry. This is a part of studying smart. You can afford to skip a chapter you aren't comfortable with, and still top the paper, if you understand the pattern.